The U.S. Coast Guard has reopened several key ports across Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina after Hurricane Milton swept through the region.

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Milton initially made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane on Florida’s Gulf Coast, causing widespread damage before crossing the state and regaining strength over the Atlantic. Federal, state, and local agencies continue to assess the storm’s impact as recovery efforts ramp up.

Thanks to pre-planning and coordination among agencies such as NOAA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Florida Division of Emergency Management, several ports resumed operations as of October 10. The reopened ports include:

1. Florida: Key West, Port Everglades, Port Miami, and the Miami River
2. Georgia: Brunswick and Savannah
3. South Carolina: Charleston and Georgetown

Additionally, the Coast Guard’s Captain of the Port for Sector St. Petersburg announced the reopening of Port Tampa and Seaport Manatee, albeit with operational restrictions. Federal pilotage movements—like U.S. vessels exceeding 1,600 gross tonnes and petroleum barges over 10,000 gross tonnes—are still prohibited. Vessel movements are currently limited to daylight hours with at least three nautical miles of visibility, though vessels can shift freely within the ports.

Meanwhile, other Florida ports remain closed as inspections and damage assessments continue. These include St. Petersburg, Fort Myers, the Port of Palm Beach, Fort Pierce, Port Canaveral, Fernandina, and Jacksonville.

JAXPORT has stated that it remains closed but plans to reopen its main gates on October 11 after completing post-storm evaluations.

This recovery effort follows the recent reopening of the Port of New Orleans (Port NOLA) and the New Orleans Public Belt (NOPB), which resumed operations after Hurricane Francine disrupted activities in mid-September.

As response teams work around the clock, more updates on port statuses are expected in the coming days.